Closed prisons ‘now at unsafe capacity’ raising violence risk

The bulk of closed prisons are operating at unsafe levels, raising the risk of violence, according to penal reformers.

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) also raised serious concerns at the effectiveness of the prisons’ inspectorate, saying its last inspection report was five years ago and its most recent annual report was in 2017, covering the period 2015 to 2016.